Stick a Fork in Weiner?

Stick a Fork in Weiner?

Andrew Breitbart’s most recent release from a supposed cache of incriminating material is a self-taken photo of a barechested (and flexing) Anthony Weiner, which he allegedly sent to a young woman who recently came forward with the information. As Breitbart points out, it’s awfully reminiscent of the half-naked picture that ultimately forced Rep. Chris Lee (R., N.Y.) to resign. But even in the face of mounting evidence against him, will Weiner follow suit?

UPDATE: Matthew Yglesias at ThinkProgressoffers some advice for how Weiner can survive the scandal: “Don’t quit!”

What you need to do to survive infidelity is (a) be an incumbent and (b) don’t quit! David Vitter cheated on his wife with a prostitute. That’s a crime. Bill Clinton cheated on his wife with an intern, and then he lied about it. But they both survived. The key difference between them and Eliot Spitzer is that Spitzer resigned.

Nate Silver muses that Weiner might not even have to resign if New York Democrats simply do away with his seat in the redistricting process. But if not, as Dave Weigel points out, Weiner has a legitimate shot at keeping his seat, so long as his fellow Democrats don’t start demanding his resignation en masse.

Andrew Stiles
—
Andrew Stiles is a political reporter for National Review Online. He previously worked at the Washington Free Beacon, and was an intern at The Hill newspaper. Stiles is a 2009 ...
@AndrewStilesNRO

Most Popular

To understand the American gun-control debate, you have to understand the fundamentally different starting positions of the two sides. Among conservatives, there is the broad belief that the right to own a weapon for self-defense is every bit as inherent and unalienable as the right to speak freely or practice ...
Read More